Spellman: Hossa delivers in Hawks' 6th straight win

Bringing up any sort of worries during the Blackhawks' run of late, a run that has included wins in five straight and 10 of 12 heading into their showdown in Nashville on Saturday night, almost seems a little nitpicky, doesn't it?

But if you dug deep enough, maybe one of those concerns might be - might be - that Marian Hossa has been struggling big time in the goal-scoring department.

But with the way the team has been rolling, and knowing Big Hoss is still Big Hoss, it certainly wasn't an end-of-the-world type thing.

Still, it had to feel good to see Hossa, who had just 1 goal in his last 16 games, get off the schneid with a pair of goals - including the game-winner - to propel the Hawks to a 3-1 victory in Music City.

"It was only a matter of time," said linemate Brandon Saad, who assisted on Hossa's first goal early in the second period. "He played a great game and got rewarded."

As did the Hawks, who came into Nashville looking up at the Preds in the standings but returned home late Saturday all alone atop the Central Division, courtesy of their sixth straight win.

"We're excited," coach Joel Quenneville said. "We had a tough (circus) road trip and we got a lot of momentum from that. And then to come back and play a real big game against St. Louis - a great response. And then two big games this weekend.

"We've put ourselves in a spot we were hoping to be."

Saad, who closed the scoring Friday night at the United Center, opened it Saturday at Bridgestone Arena, with his sixth goal of the season late in the first period. It gave the 22-year-old his fourth multipoint game of the season and extended his points streak to four straight games.

"When he plays like that, he's at the elite level," Quenneville said. "If he played like that every night it'd be a different animal that we're talking about.

"Today he took it to that elite level of power forwards."

Hossa got his fifth goal of the season on an empty-netter late to seal the verdict and ensure that the Hawks' top line accounted for all the scoring.

"Saader was special tonight, and it was nice seeing Hoss score some goals as well," Quenneville said. "That line was a force tonight."

Lemont native Scott Darling got the start in net and responded by stopping 32 of the 33 shots to pick up his third win.

"Commend him on being patient and poised," Quenneville said. "Another big win for him … and for us."

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